Bob Cooney

Maurice Harkless scored nine points and grabbed five rebounds in his Summer League debut as the team lost to the Indiana Pacers by 69-63.

Harkess is hampered by a strained left hip flexor, an injury he sustained about six weeks ago while working out. It didn't appear to hinder him too much during his 23 minutes.

“I felt all right,” said Harkless, who went for nine points and five rebounds in 23 minutes. “I hurt it about a month or so but I just have to fight through it. This was my first time actually playing. Once I got warmed up and everything it really wasn’t bothering me too much.”

This Summer League isn’t about what Harkless is doing now but how it will help him in the future. That’s where the organization sees him helping them the most.

“Right now I’m just looking to get some experience, get up and down and have fun and show what I can do.”

“He’s been out pretty much all camp and really this was his first practice run,” said assistant coach Aaron McKie. “He did pretty a pretty good job out there. We had him playing multiple positions. I like what I saw out there on the court. He’s 19, he’s a kid. He has to get used to the speed of the game, the strength of the game. He’ll be fine. I think he’s going to be a heck of a defender, he can move his feet. He just has to work on the nuances on the offensive end as far as getting himself open. Those things will come. Just the raw skills in the guy, he certainly has those things. ”

Second year big men Nikola Vucevic and Lavoy Allen watched the action from the bench, but for different reasons. Vucevic did not play due to a left Achilles’ strain, while Allen can’t play until he signs his new 2-year contract on Wednesday. He was heading back to Philadelphia to get a physical and the plan was for him to come back to Orlando to perhaps play in the final two games Thursday and Friday. Rookie Arnett Moultrie, who just had a boot removed from a sprained left ankle, didn’t play and is expected to be out all week.

In the 69-63 loss to the Pacers, guard Jacob Pullen came off the bench to lead the team with 15 points. Xavier Silas added 10 as did University of Washington product Justin Holiday, the brother of Sixers starting point guard Jrue Holiday.